Four years ago, the last time Sheriff Rick Roth ran for reelection, a report surfaced that he had taken money from an alleged drug dealer in 1979. That report has surfaced again— but this time, the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has looked into the incident and has, reportedly, sent the case to state Attorney Kirk Zuelch for possible action.
In a confidential letter addressed to then Sheriff Billy Freeman on Jan. 29, 1980, polygraph examiner Edward J. DuBois III told Freeman that, prior to a routine lie detector examination, Roth told the examiner that he had not been totally truthful in providing financial disclosure information.
DuBois wrote: "He (Roth) explained that many months ago, he by chance, met with Charles Perry, a former deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, now thought to be involved in drug smuggling. Perry was trying to impress Roth and gave him a $100 bill. Roth claims that he has felt guilty about the money ever since. Roth intends to now return the money to Perry, but has not seen him again."
DuBois concluded, however, that "Roth was totally truthful while attached to the polygraph instrument"— including his "no" answer to the question "Have you ever as a police officer accepted a bribe?"
In letters to both Key West The Newspaper and the Key West Citizen in October, 1996, Roth said that the encounter with Perry had taken place 17 years earlier.
"I was acquainted with him because he was a former deputy in the sheriff's department . . . and I was complaining about my low pay," Roth said. "My car had just broken down and I didn't have enough money to fix it.
"Mr. Perry pulled a $100 bill out of his pocket and handed it to me. At the time, I considered the money a loan and planned to pay it back. Unfortunately, I never saw Mr. Perry again and I was unable to pay him. And because I considered the money a loan, I didn't include it on my financial disclosure.
"I didn't feel uneasy about the money until I heard rumors that Perry might be involved in smuggling of some sort," Roth said. "That's why I discussed it with the polygraph examiners.
"The fact that such a small sum could make me uneasy is, I believe, a reflection on my honest nature," Roth said.
Key West The Newspaper has learned that the FDLE's Office of Criminal Justice Professionalism has reviewed this case and forwarded it to State Attorney for possible action.
"It would seem that Zuelch really has no choice except to prosecute," said an attorney consulted by KWTN. "Roth admits to filing false financial disclosure information. That's a crime."
State Attorney Zuelch would not confirm or deny whether or not an investigation is ongoing.